UMass professor facing child-porn charges

Allegedly confessed to victim’s mom

A University of Massachusetts Amherst professor who’s also a department head at the state’s flagship university is accused of secretly taking half-naked photos of a child.

When Michael Henson was confronted by the child’s mother about the alleged disturbing pictures, the 58-year-old head of chemical engineering at UMass Amherst apparently responded, “The opportunity was there and I took it,” according to court documents.

Those documents in the case against Henson were posted ahead of his arraignment next week on three counts of photographing sexual or intimate parts of a child.

Henson has been placed on administrative leave by UMass Amherst.

“Given that action, he is relieved of administrative, teaching, research and other responsibilities pending a review of the circumstances that led to the recent criminal complaint against him,” a UMass Amherst spokesperson said in a statement.

Henson’s salary for the year is $197,651, and last year it was over $200,000.

Williamsburg Police brought forward the charges after they took a report from a resident last October.

A mother had found a note written by her daughter, which revealed that Henson had apparently taken photos of the child in her underwear.

The mother then confronted Henson, and he confirmed what her daughter had written, according to the court docs. Henson also said he had been taking the photos for 7 or 8 months.

“When she asked Henson why, he stated, ‘The opportunity was there and I took it,'” the court documents read.

Henson also admitted to using the photos while masturbating, the mother told police.

Police obtained a search warrant for Henson’s phone, which had been wiped clean, according to the court documents.

The police investigation “revealed that Henson did in fact secretly take photographs of the juvenile’s intimate parts around their clothing on at least three separate occasions. Juvenile was partially nude in these images.”

Henson’s arraignment is set for Sept. 17 in Northampton District Court.

The UMass professor did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.